The system of trains/railroads has played an integral part in the development of industry in the United States. Growth of the railway system in the United States was rapid, with the total mileage increasing from 9,021 miles in 1850 to 129,774 miles in 1890. Throughout the nation's formative years, such growth enabled the quick, energy efficient transport of goods and passengers. More recently, and in addition to the railroad system's importance to the growth of industry in America, electric railways have revolutionized urban transport, while diesel powered locomotives remain an important vehicle for hauling freight. And traditional passenger trains still remain a primary option for travel, even over long distances, in the U.S. and in many parts of the world.
However, railroads also have been dangerous. There are several reasons why trains are dangerous, for example, relating to the high speed at which they travel, their heavy weights, their inability to deviate from a track, and the great distances they may require to stop safely. Possibilities for accidents include derailments (e.g. jumping the track), head-on collisions with trains coming the opposite directions, and collisions with vehicles at a level crossing (also sometimes referred to as a grade crossing) where a road or path crosses the train track. Accordingly, several safety measures have been put into place. Common conventional examples of safety measures include railway signals and gates at level crossings. Train whistles are designed to warn others of the presence of a train, and trackside signals are designed to maintain the distances between trains.
Unfortunately, level crossing collisions are relatively common in the United States. Indeed, each year, several thousand level crossing collisions kill about 500 people. Furthermore, according to the Department of Transportation, there are about 1,000 rail-related fatalities each year. On Jan. 26, 2005, what originally was thought to be a failed suicide attempt by an automobile driver caused a southbound Metrolink double-deck commuter train to collide with a vehicle that had been driven onto the tracks in California. The collision caused the train to derail and strike the northbound Metrolink train on the other mainline track, as well as a parked Union Pacific Railroad freight train on a side. Eleven people were killed, and about 100 more were injured. A Murray County, Ga. school bus collided with a CSXT freight train, killing three and injuring four in 2000. As a final example, in the Bourbonnais train accident in 1999, a southbound Amtrak City of New Orleans hit a semi truck loaded with steel rebar at a grade crossing. The derailment and ensuing fire spread to a Superliner sleeper train. The entire acceded resulted in 11 fatalities and over 100 injuries.
While these accidents are indeed tragic, rail-related accidents have the potential to spread beyond the immediately surrounding and/or involved trains, cars, etc., resulting in harms apart from, or in addition to, the original collision or derailment. For example, in 2002, a train derailment near a residential area west of Minot, N. Dak. resulted in a major chemical leak. Seven of fifteen tank cars ruptured, releasing more than 200,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia which vaporized in the sub-zero air, forming a toxic cloud that drifted over much of Minot. One man died and numerous others were treated for chemical exposure. A runaway train carrying lumber derailed in an L.A. suburb, destroying several homes and rupturing natural gas lines in 2003. In 2001, a 60-car CSX train carrying chemicals and wood products derailed in a tunnel under Baltimore, causing a fire that burned for six days and water contamination.
Thus, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a system and/or method for reducing the dangers associated with the train/railroad system. Accordingly, in certain example embodiments, a system for reducing problems associated with a railroad system is provided. Such systems may comprise at least one sensor operable to gather condition data related to at least one monitored area (e.g., at a crossing), each sensor being associated with at least one monitored area. Each sensor may have an associated first communicator configured to communicate with one or more second communicator(s). Each second communicator may be located on an associated train. Each train may include a display operable to display condition data received by the second communicator associated with the train.
In certain example embodiments, a method for reducing problems associated with a railroad system is provided. Such methods may comprise gathering condition data for at least one monitored area. The condition data may be sent to any trains within a receiving range. When a train is within a receiving range of the condition data, the condition data may be received by the train. The condition data may be displayed on the train based on a predetermined criteria.
According to certain example embodiments, each sensor may be operable to gather condition data comprising a video, an image, and/or a temperature of the monitored area. Each sensor also may be operable to gather condition data at predetermined time intervals. The condition data may further comprise a date and/or time associated with when the condition data was gathered, and an identifier for identifying the monitored area.
According to certain example embodiments, each train may further include a unit operable to determine a location and/or speed at which the train is traveling. This unit may be a GPS unit. According to an example embodiment, a processor may be operable to filter condition data based on a location of the train relative to the monitored area and/or a determination of when the train is scheduled to reach the monitored area. A processor may be operable to order condition data received from two or more sensors based on a location of the train relative to the monitored area and/or a determination of when the train is scheduled to reach the monitored area.
Certain example embodiments may comprise a second display located proximate to the monitored area, being operable to display a time at which a train will arrive at the monitored area, a length of time during which the train will be passing through the monitored area, and/or a countdown until the train will arrive at the monitored area. This may allow, for example, pedestrians and/or vehicle drivers at a train/road crossing to know how much time they have until the inbound train arrives at the crossing.
In certain example embodiments, each first communicator and each second communicator may be wireless communicators. Certain example embodiments may further comprise a central safety station operable to communicate with each first communicator and each second communicator.